Tag: joy

On one of the days of Radhastami festivities, the residents of Varsana run throughout the village, with young boys dressed as Radha and Krishna on their shoulders. This tradition originates from the pastime at Sankari Khor, when Krishna demanded taxes from Radharani and her girlfriends, who were carrying pots of yogurt. This video is available on Glimpses of Vraja DVD http://www.vrindavanexperience.com/shop/

The festival of Radhastami, the appearance of Radharani, is being celebrated at Varsana for almost a week. Crowds of people join to circumambulate the holy place and participate in the festival. This video is available on the Glimpses of Vraja DVD: http://www.vrindavanexperience.com/shop/

For the last few days, Vrindavan has been celebrating Janmastami, the birthday of Krishna. We offer you our brief report of the event. Listen to the sounds and submerge yourself into the atmosphere of the festival:

Krishna-Balaram Mandir, evening kirtan by Govinda Swami on the day before the festivalKirtan on Janmastami Eve | download

Roaring kirtan at Krishna Balaram Mandir on Janmastami night. Listen to the full length track below and check this short video we filmed on iPhone (sorry for the quality, but it was simply impossible to use any bigger camera in such a crowd 🙂 )

Vrindavana, Vrindavana!.. Here cows are wandering along the streets, dogs don’t bark at passers-by, but at one another when they cannot get on with each other. Sluggish buffaloes resting and chewing grass with their young can be seen everywhere. Monkeys jump from twigs to roof, from roof to wires, from there on travelers, and steal their glasses and fruits. Hogs are happily grunting in town waste water and eating up tailings at disposal tips. Peacocks are calling here and there, and at times they can be seen sitting on the fences or on the trees, or dancing, with their beautiful tails open. Big green parrots are merging with the trees, but by scrutinizing their leaves you’ll see – here they are, Vrindavana’s dandies! Beautiful black and headlong-streaming Yamuna river with its sweet water is half embracing the town of Vrindavana. Everywhere grow, and at every home people are growing, small trees of holy basil, Tulasi, or Vrinda. Vridavana is named after this graceful plant, Vrinda, and “vana” means “forest”. The forest of Tulasi-trees…

It is not so easy to go to Vrindavana. In the holy Vedic scriptures, it is said that even those who are of the highest rank and those who are wealthy or well-educated, cannot enter Vrindavana without God’s grace. It is great fortune to come to Vrindavana. Vrindavana is God’s embassy on earth, his home, holy land, where every grain of sand or a stone is a jewel, every step is a dance, and every word is a song. “Hmm” – you will probably smile. Well, if you don’t take it on trust – then test! I had no faith before. “All right! It is the holy land, and it is wonderful of course. And what next?” This is what comes next: all cherished desires are fulfilled in Vrindavana. The point is that when one comes here, something starts to take place, something strange. The heart aches. The soul longs to find its place in the world, and find out who is behind everything. Answers to all these questions come in Vrindavana.

When I came to Vrindavana for the first time, I got off the taxi, looked around and became afraid. I thought I will understand nothing, because everything around me appeared so ordinary, and even weird for us Westerners – waste water, hogs on the streets… But I remembered how I had read in a book that when one comes to a holy place, one should bow down to it and ask it to bestow its mercy upon one. So I did that. When I arose, I was completely transformed. I did not expect that a place I had never seen before would welcome me as its family member. As if by magic, or with the help of an affectionate relative, I at once found a room in a hotel. It was a good and really inexpensive one, and I didn’t have much money at that time. I went to the Hare Krishna temple and met my girlfriend from Moscow there. She invited me to assist her in making flower garlands for the deities in the temple. It is special mercy to do something for God in his home. Then I met another acquaintance, and for the next few days, she was my guide to the different places in Vrindavana, on which she spoke. By then, I liked being in Vrindavana so much that I did not want to leave at all. And you know what happened then? My return ticket could not be confirmed, and I was told that it could be only confirmed for another date, a week later! I got everything I wanted – visiting many temples, personal service to God, staying longer – all these things I got at once!

A remarkable, for me, story happened there. When I made a flower garland for the first time, the priest did not put it on the deity of Krishna. I was upset because I decided that God did not accept my service. My acquaintance requested me to make a garland once again, and when I came to the temple the next day, I found that Krishna was wearing my garland! Usually there are special garlands made for Krishna and Radhika, his beloved; they differ from others. On the morning the priests dress the deities in new attire and put fresh garlands on them. So on that day, Krishna was wearing his usual garland as well as the one I made for him – two at once! Can you imagine my joy – God reciprocated with me, accepted my garland, which I made for him. He showed me that he knows the heart and desires of everyone. On that day, faith appeared in my heart that God is a person, and that he is not indifferent to me. He reciprocates, he always answers our prayers, requests, questions, he fulfills our desires and guides us to him, in different ways, but to the same place – the eternal abode of God, where everything is eternal, and filled with knowledge and bliss of love, where every grain of sand or stone is a jewel, every step is a dance, and every word is a song – to Vrindavana.